Nepal Seder gets Passover supplies in time

NEW YORK (AP) — Passover supplies made it to Katmandu, Nepal, on Monday in time for an annual Seder that typically draws more than 1,000 guests.

The shipment had been stuck in port in India, bound for the Seder hosted by the Jewish outreach organization Chabad-Lubavitch. The supplies are normally routed via the Israeli embassy of Nepal, but a strike by the Israeli Foreign Ministry that affected embassy operations had delayed delivery, according to Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, a New York spokesman for Chabad.

The strike ended April 3 and the container filled with matzo, wine, ritual texts called Haggadahs and other items was finally signed for, but organizers were not sure it would get to Katmandu in time. Travelers had started bringing Passover items in their backpacks and suitcases and plans were being readied to make some things from scratch if need be. But the shipment arrived Monday in time for the event's evening start, Shmotkin said.

The Nepal Seder is one of hundreds hosted around the globe by Chabad-Lubavitch.